Every runner has a reason for putting his or her body through the punishment of participating in a marathon.
The book Our Life on the Run: A Story of Running 50 Marathons in 50 States — A Family Quest chronicles the reasons Streamwood resident Marlin Keesler took to running.
What started as casual interest in running just one marathon evolved into a journey through which Keesler and his wife have been able to help their two children with Asperger's Syndrome — a higher-functioning form of autism — learn and socialize.
What began as a scrapbook of the family's travels became a story the Keeslers want to share with others.
"This book really has multiple themes," said the 40-year-old Keesler. "It's a story about running marathons, but more important is the underlying theme about family. The marathons are just the thread that gives it a beginning and an end."
While living in Hawaii in 1994, Keesler decided to run a marathon to stay in shape and to say he had done it. But after doing it once, he decided he wanted to break the four-hour mark. Keesler ran twice more in Hawaii before finally reaching his goal at the 1998 Chicago Marathon after he and his family had moved to Streamwood.
Still feeling he had more to prove, Keesler returned for one more run in Hawaii before going to Houston in 1999 for a weekend, where he hoped to make it through one last marathon and take his family on a short vacation.
It was near the starting line in Houston where Keesler met runners from the "50 State Club" — a group of marathoners whose goal is to run an event in every U.S. state. It was then he was struck with an idea.
"As they were telling me their stories about where they had been, I thought it was interesting," Keesler said. "I never liked running, and I only ran marathons to keep physically fit. But then I saw this as having another purpose.
"Both of my kids have a form of autism so they have trouble learning academically and don't fit in with their peer group. I saw this as an opportunity to travel to all the states as a way of teaching my kids about culture and social interaction."
Thus began a journey that, while difficult, also would be rewarding.
Because of his work schedule, Keesler didn't have time to train like most marathoners, with his longest runs before a race often only around 12 miles instead of the 20 miles other runners build up to pre-marathon. To maximize his vacation time, he would run multiple marathons during two-week spans.
With a travel itinerary packed with sightseeing, Keesler also ran several of his marathons with little or no sleep after driving through the night.
Keesler, who works for Continental Airlines, also had to work extra hours to pay for the travel, but said it was all worth it.
"This way exceeded any expectations I had," he said. "It was a fabulous experience and our kids learned so much. The feedback from the teachers was really terrific. They all had positive responses to how it helped them with their learning."
Keesler and his wife, Jeanne, also created a scrapbook of the family's adventures. Each time they went on a trip, friends and family would ask to see the updates. After running 30 marathons, Keesler decided it was time for the scrapbook to become a full-fledged book.
The Keeslers finished their travel to all 50 states a year ago, and the book came out in January. More than 500 copies have been sold, despite little promotion. That might change soon as Keesler hits national airwaves with several upcoming radio appearances. The book has also garnered glowing reviews.
"I've gotten passionate responses from the people who have read it," Keesler said. "I know I have something good because it touches people. It's a warm, moving story. It's not just for runners, and it's not just for people with challenged kids. It's really for anyone that has a family."
While the book has been out for months, the Keeslers' story is far from over. With his wife, his son Austin, now 16, and daughter Erin, 13, Marlin is now looking at a new goal of running in 100 events, though they all might not be full marathons.
Keesler hasn't won a marathon and concedes he probably won't. But he sees a lesson in that for his children.
"I hope they learn that you don't have to come in first to be a winner," Keesler said. "As long as you're competing and making yourself better. This might have seemed unrealistic when I first started, but we kept working at it and working at it. It took six and a half years, but we all did it together."
With more adventures on the horizon for his family, Keesler thinks there will be more stories to tell in another book.
"I think there's a need for a sequel," Keesler said. "It will take five or six years, but people who read the first book will want to know how my kids make the transition to the real world. Are they going to be prepared? Will they be ready for it, because they are not mainstream kids. And to be honest, I'm curious to learn the answer to that myself."
